England Resident Doctors Begin Six-Day Pay Strike

Resident doctors across England began a six-day strike on Tuesday, April 7, marking the 15th walkout in their ongoing pay dispute with the government. The action, organized by the British Medical Association, involves tens of thousands of medics in training below consultant level and is set to continue until Sunday, April 13.

The strike stems from demands to restore pay to 2008 levels, with the BMA arguing that real-terms salaries have fallen by about a fifth since then, adjusted for inflation. Despite pay rises totaling 33 percent over the past four years, the union rejected the government's latest offer of a 3.5 percent increase for 2026-27, along with reimbursements for exam fees and up to 1,000 additional medical training places. The BMA described the proposal as entailing further real-terms cuts, especially with inflation at 3.6 percent. Health Secretary Wes Streeting countered that the package would result in an average 4.9 percent rise, leaving resident doctors 35.2 percent better off than four years ago, and accused the union of walking away from a credible deal.

NHS England chief executive Sir Jim Mackey acknowledged the challenges in a letter to health leaders, noting...